Month: August 2018

This week’s topic isn’t book-related, but it’s definitely bookish! I thought it would be fun to share our favorite book blogs and/or bookish websites (besides Goodreads because duh…) because I know I’d love to find some more blogs to add to my reader and great bookish resources to bookmark.

1. What Should I Read Next?
This fun website has you entire the title of a book you loved. The website analyzes your pick and then spits out the title of another book you’ll probably love, too.

2. BookBub
How would you like an email of free and discounted ebooks sent to you everyday? You even get to choose the genres you love.

What are some of your favorite bookish blogs and websites?

Welcome to The FFBC’s blog tour of Sara Raasch’s These Rebel Waves! As one of the brand new co-owners of The Fantastic Flying Book Club, I get the exciting privilege of hosting Sara’s welcome interview here on my blog! It’s a day late, but oh well! We’ve had some craziness going on over at The FFBC with life stuff and me being added to the team only recently, so we’re still ironing things out. Without further ado, here’s Sarah!

Interview with Sara Raasch

Hello Sara! We are super excited to talk to you about THESE REBEL WAVES and to have you on tour with us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

1. Favorite Book?At the moment? Such a mean question! But I always love PRINCE’S GAMBIT by CS Pacat, the second out of her Captive Prince trilogy. It’s…well, let’s just say yummy and surprising.

2. Favorite TV show?Parks & Rec! I could rewatch it forever.

3.Favorite movie?I rewatch the Shrek movies an embarrassing amount.

4. Favorite Song?Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance – I listened to it nonstop while writing THESE REBEL WAVES!

5. Favorite Food?Dark chocolate.

6.Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.Sharon Shinn’s Gillengaria from her Twelve Houses series; also, her country of Welce in her Elemental Blessings series (basically any world Sharon Shinn has created); and the world of Warehouse 13 from the Syfy show

7. What were your favorite books growing up?I LOVED the Felicity the American girl series. All of my earliest writings were inspired by Revolutionary War America/Felicity.

8. Favorite Quote?“Keep Moving Forward,” by Walt Disney.

9. What do you find yourself “fangirling” over?Captive Prince by CS Pacat. Avatar: The Last Airbender. ZUTARA.

10.Name a recent book you read that you would recommend to our YA fans?SEAFIRE by Natalie C Parker! Futuristic female pirates? SO GOOD!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

1.Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about THESE REBEL WAVES?THESE REBEL WAVES is a YA fantasy inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy and the Spanish Inquistion. It takes place on the fictional island of Grace Loray as well as the country that used to own said island, Argrid. There’s botanical magic and post-war struggles and politics and romance.

2.Do you have any fave books/movies/tv shows that feature pirates?I just barely started Black Sails—it’s so intense! The actors are AMAZING too. I’m also in love with Natalie C Parker’s SEAFIRE, another YA fantasy about pirates coming out this August!

3.What 3 hashtags would you most associate with your book series? (Could be a word or phrase or anything that would instantly make you think of THESE REBEL WAVES).#rebels #raiders #revolution

4. Tell us your favorite quote from THESE REBEL WAVES.It’s a funny line between Vex (the pirate character) and Lu (the ex-soldier girl) where she’s been constantly correcting what Vex calls her, and he finally snaps.

He beamed at her. “Wicked princesa.”

“Politician.”

“I don’t know why you keep bragging about that.”

5. Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write? Or which part was the most difficult to get through?Every scene between Lu and Vex was so much fun! They banter nonstop, and pick at each other, and it’s just hysterical. Ben’s scenes were always difficult to write because he’s hiding so much from everyone around him that it made it difficult for me to get at the root of his motivations.

6. If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for THESE REBEL WAVES– Which one would you pick?Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. I have a whole music video planned in my head!

7. Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read THESE REBEL WAVES (specific music, snacks…)? Preferably sit in a lush garden, humidity thick on the air, surrounded by the smell of greenery and dirt and maybe, just maybe, a hint of magic.

8. What’s next for you? The sequel to THESE REBEL WAVES comes out next summer, and I have a few other projects lined up that I can’t talk about yet. But hopefully I can share soon!

Adeluna is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Argrid, a country ruled by religion. But adjusting to postwar life has not been easy. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something more dangerous is at work.

Devereux is a pirate. As one of the outlaws called stream raiders who run rampant on Grace Loray, he pirates the island’s magic plants and sells them on the black market. But after Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, Vex becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war.

Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbors a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.

As conspiracies arise, Lu, Vex, and Ben will have to decide who they really are . . . and what they are willing to become for peace.

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, the first in a trilogy, came out October 14, 2014 from Balzer + Bray. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures.

This week’s topic was submitted by Rissi at Finding Wonderland, and is “Books You’d Mash Together (pick two books you think would make an epic story if combined)”! Which books would you love to smush together and read the resulting story? Or maybe you don’t want to mash-up the entire story, just certain elements or characters? Maybe you loved the world in one book and the characters in another and want to put the best of both books together. Whatever the case may be, I’m excited to see which books you’d like to mash together this week!

Unfortunately, life got ahead of me and I was unable to put enough time and thought into this topic, which is a whole lot harder than I thought it would be! I’m sorry! I promised myself I’d never let this happen! I am, however, posting the Linky so that you can still link-up and bounce around to other blogs.

Tell me some of your book mash-ups in the comments!
Also, tell me how you balance real life with blogging life because I got so behind this week!

I’m delighted to be on the official blog tour for Mary E. Pearson’s Dance of Thieves, hosted by Macmillan! I LOVE Mary, and I love Mary’s books, and this next journey to the world of the Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed! You can expect the same beautiful writing, lovable characters, and lyrical descriptions that Mary has always provided her readers. My tour stop today features my mood board for Dance of Thieves. I selected each picture for a very specific reason. Those who have read it will understand why, and hopefully it pushes others to read it as soon as it comes out tomorrow!

My Dance of Thieves Mood Board

A new novel in the New York Times–bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty’s resentment and anger.

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.

About Mary E. Pearson

Mary E. Pearson is the NYT bestselling and award-winning author of eleven YA novels and one novella. Her works include the completed trilogy, The Remnant Chronicles, which in a starred review, Publisher’s Weekly called “masterfully crafted.” Her favorite activities as a child were climbing tall trees imagining she was a hero in some fantastical world, or running along fence tops and roofs pretending she was a spy with a bagful of amazing gadgets. She was rarely herself. Amazingly, she never broke a bone until she caught a basketball in gym class. Catching real balls was not her forte. These days she continues to live in make-believe worlds she creates in her books. Her latest 2-book series, Dance of Thieves, allows her do all kinds of dangerous things without breaking any bones. So far.

Have you read The Remnant Chronicles? If not, you should!If you have, are you excited to revisit this world in Dance of Thieves?
(It’s not mandatory that you read The Remnant Chronicles trilogy to enjoy this book, but you’ll enjoy it more if you do!)

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

After reading and enjoying Roomies earlier this year, I was excited to jump into another Christina Lauren book! I loved the characters that this author duo created in that story, and I hoped that they would deliver another wonderful group for me to fall in love with. I wasn’t disappointed in the least! As always, my main points are bolded.

1. I’m just going to jump right in here and say that I LOVE Hazel. She’s hilarious and bubbly and eccentric and full of life. She’s exactly the kind of wild, uninhibited, self-confident person I wish I was. She dances through life and if you can’t handle her, she doesn’t even care. She doesn’t even notice. She reminded me so much of Jessica Day from New Girl that I was actually picturing Jess the entire time. She loves animals, she’s a school teacher, she has so much energy, and she makes everyone who knows her happy. I SO need a friend like her in my life.

2. I loved Josh as well. He is the sweetest, most caring best friend a girl could ask for. He tolerates Hazel until she worms her way into his very soul, and then he’s 100% the devoted and loving best friend. Can I have a Josh in my life as well? He’s seriously the cutest. He’s all order and organized. I loved how warm and open and accepting he was of Hazel’s eccentricities. He makes her feel perfect, and every girl should feel that way.

3. These two are so perfect together. She decides she wants to be his best friend, so she makes it happen whether he wants it or not. They end up with this very flirty, witty, tender friendship that is just so unique and special. Their whole “not dating” thing works for a while as they set each other up on blind dates for their double date nights, but then they end up having more fun with each other than they do with their actual dates. Josh lets Hazel live with him when her apartment floods and internally gripes over her messiness, but secretly loves it at the same time. Her dog ADORES him. They have inside jokes and cute pet names (Josh is Korean and his real name is Jimin, so she calls him Jiminy and other silly things. He calls her Haze, which is adorable.). It’s just such a perfect combination of two completely different people.

4. I really love the best-friends-turned-lovers trope, and this romance was particularly swoony and sweet, with some interesting twists and turns. Neither wants to ruin their friendship with possible unrequited feelings, so that underlying tension creates so much depth and interest.

All in all, I loved this story! I loved the characters and the sweet romance. There’s so many other gems in this story as well, including a few crazy awkward college moments between Josh and Hazel before their reunion years later at a party, and some yummy-sounding Korean food. I highly recommend this Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating to anyone looking for a cute rom-com with a lot of depth and feeling below the surface.

Hi, I’m Jana!

I’m a 30-something graphic designer, singer, book lover, avid world traveler, cat whisperer, whale watcher, and art enthusiast. I live in the snowy Rocky Mountains, have an unhealthy obsession with soft blankets, and have been known to toss my book aside in favor of binging shows on Netflix.